A family got a shock one morning when they discovered a fox asleep in their kitchen.
A family in Mitcham had quite the shock when they came down to the kitchen early one morning to find a fox asleep on the top of their microwave.
Kim Fryer was at home in Rawnsley Avenue on 15 December when her daughter discovered the fox early in the morning.
Kim said: “My daughter found him at 7am and called up to me. I came down and spotted this little fox curled up on top of the microwave. I have five cats and a dog so obviously I have a cat flap. He must have crawled under the gate and through the cat flap.
“A couple of my plants were smashed and there was mud everywhere. She put the light on and one eye opened, but he didn’t move. We could tell there was something wrong with him.”
The family called the RSPCA and Inspector Phil Normal collected the fox and took him to the charity’s Putney Animal Hospital in London, where vets checked him over and monitored him.
The fox seemed extremely weak and lethargic to begin with, but he soon perked up and staff could find nothing wrong with him.
A hospital spokesperson said: “He had got in through the cat flap and found a nice warm spot to sleep in. He was quite happy to be brought in to the hospital for a health check but was understandably not keen on being in a cage.
“Fortunately, he was quite healthy with a beautiful fluffy coat, so after a thorough check over, he was released back into the area he was found in by one of the hospital staff.”
The fox was just one of the 10,000 animals the RSPCA expects to rescue this winter as a result if the 55,821 calls the animal welfare charity’s 24-hour cruelty hotline receives over the Christmas period.
